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Harland Curtis
Corporal Harland "Bud" Curtis is a paratrooper of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team. He is dropped into Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon. He lands alone and hours later tries to hide from a passing German patrol, but is spotted. Seeing himself outnumbered, he quickly surrenders. As he is restrained and searched, however, a grenade is thrown into the patrol, distracting the Germans. Corporal James Rossi, who had snuck up on them, kills the entire patrol and rescues Curtis. Rossi searches the dead Germans for trophies such as a SS ring or a Luger pistol. Rossi determines using a map and a compass that the two are still miles away from their intended landing zone in Les Arcs, a French village. The two set off before finding an abandoned shelter where they are followed by Curtis's commander Sergeant Caleb Jones. Jones explains that the trio must head for Les Arcs as soon as they can as the Germans may send patrols after them. The three travel through the French country, eventually stopping at a road. They encounter German troops. The three try to hide in the grass but Rossi inadvertently alerts them to his position, and is forced to open fire and kill a German. The two groups engage in a brief firefight, which ends in all the German troops being killed. The three soldiers continue making their way to Les Arcs when they find a woman named Emilie, who is a member of the French Resistance. She explains that her fellow Resistance members are being held prisoner by Germans not too far away, and she needs help rescuing them. Rossi is against this, suspicious of her motives, but Jones agrees to help. The group is briefly attacked by a German plane after it shot down an Allied plane. They find a dead American paratrooper and bury him. The soldiers find where the French are being held, so Jones and Rossi separate to clear the building while Curtis and Emilie cover for them. Jones is attacked by Germans, but they are soon shot by Curtis and Emilie, while Rossi kills the guards on the other side. They find three prisoners; Philippe, Gustave and Jacques, but they learn one other was tortured. Rossi goes to rescue the other, but discovers he is dead. He is then attacked by two Germans. Rossi shoots and kills one and engages in hand-to-hand combat with the other. Before Jones and Curtis can intervene, Rossi overcomes an intense fight and brutally beats the German to death. Jones is shocked by Rossi's brutality. Jones, who speaks French, plans with Philippe to travel to Les Arcs, where Germans have overtaken the town. Along the way, they encounter a jeep with two American troops; Lieutenant Woodard and Private Stewart. Their vehicle has broken down, and Curtis begins to fix it. Rossi and Emilie have a shooting contest, where Rossi bets a kiss and Emilie bets a whistle. Emilie surprisingly wins but kisses Rossi anyway, bewildering him. After Curtis fixes the jeep, Jones notices Woodard has German binoculars and wears brass on his uniform, something U.S. troops don't do in combat. He realizes the two are Germans posing as Americans and captures them. Jones tries to get info from them and after Gustave kills Stewart, Woodard admits they were assigned to kill a French informant and collaborator to prevent his capture by the Americans. Jacques takes Woodard away and returns with two more French resistance fighters. The group arrives at Les Arcs and Jones spots a German tank and a armoured half-track vehicle full of German troops about to leave, intending to attack the rest of the paratroopers. Jones decides to ambush the Germans, and the group splits up into two. Curtis fires a rifle grenade at the half-track stopping it, but the German troops disembark and start firing. The Allied group fire results in high German casualties and Jones and Curtis both start pursuing the tank, which fled earlier but now is firing at the group. All French troops except for Emilie are killed. Rossi covers for Jones and Curtis while they go after the tank. More German soldiers are killed as the skirmish ends with Jones disabling the tank using a magnetic hollow charge and grenades. However, he is seriously wounded when a German shoots him in the chest. Curtis tries to flee but is shot in the back. Rossi is also seriously wounded after being shot. As all three lay dying, they have recollections of their previous lives. Curtis tries to recite the Airborne Creed. Before he can finish, he has a hallucination of his girlfriend, but in reality is Emilie trying to tend to his wounds, but he ends up dying in her arms. Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland Curtis, Harland